Tomás Cardoso, 2016 winner
Tomás Cardoso is a journalist and radio host of Radio Martí’s Cuba al Día program, a daily live one hour program which connects with members of Cuban civil society, human rights activists, independent journalists, lawyers, economists, bloggers and everyday Cuban citizens.
A recent example of the kind of impact stories covered by Cardoso on his program is the case of Enmanuel Abreu Sánchez. Abreu Sánchez was arrested and sentenced to 12 years in prison for trying to leave Cuba illegally and accusations of human trafficking.
After months of lost appeals, Abreu Sánchez began a hunger strike to demand that the charges against him be dropped. His mother, Meibol Sánchez Mujica, reached out to Radio Martí on July 15, 2015, expressing her fear for her son’s life.
Sánchez Mujica continued to report on her son’s condition to Cardoso until July 25 when she was summoned by Cuban State Security where she was warned against talking to those from the “outside.”
Through the Cuba al Día program and the Martís’ network, Cardoso linked Sánchez Mujica to human rights activists and NGOs. In August 2015, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a letter on behalf of Enmanuel Abreu Sánchez.
After 36 months Enmanuel Abreu Sánchez was released on January 26, 2016.